Cast-metal railway-crossing.



E. H. STEEDMAN.

CAST METAL RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED 11.11.23, 1914.

1 1 0 1,577, Patented June 30, 191i 2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

QiQlllIlU Hmmw B. H STEEDMAN. CAST METAL RAILWAY CROSSING.

APPLICATION FILED mums, 1914.

1,1 01,577, Patented June 30, 1914-,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

EDWIN H. STEEIDMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CAST-METAL RAILWAY-@CRBESING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 1914.

Application'filed January 23, 1914. Serial No. 813,865.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN H. STEED- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St, Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement .in Cast- Metal Railway-Crossings, of which the follow-ing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to railway crossings, and particularly to crossings .of the type that comprise cast metal intersecting portions provided with ,flangeways or wheel flange grooves. The crossings of this type which have heretofore been used have not proved entirely 'satisfactory owing to the tendency of same to break in use at the bottom of the wheel flange grooves adjacent to the intersections of the grooves.

The main object of my invention is to provide a crossing of the type mentioned which is so designed that the cast metal intersecting portions are as strong as the other portions of the crossing, and comprise means se arate and distinct from the top webs or w eel-tread surfaces of the intersecting portions for tying the side legs or vertical walls of said intersecting portions together.

Another object is to provide a crossing of the character mentioned which is so designed that the metal in the intersecting portions of same will not be liable to crack when the metal is shrinking, due to cooling o'fi' and solidifying, after the casting operation.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a top plan view of a right angle 'U-section integral crossing constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a bottom plan View of one of the intersecting portions of the crossing; Figs. 3 and 4 are vertical sectional views taken on approximately the lines 3-3 and H of F ig, 1; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 5--5 of Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating another way of form-' ing the horizontally disposed connecting webs; Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a builtup crossing provided with cast metal inserts or intersections constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of one of said inserts or intersections; and Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, which illustrates an integral crossing formed in two halves or sections that are connected toigether by fish-plates 1, A designates two 0 the rail portions of the crossing which extend parallel to each other, and B designates the other two rail portions,

said rail portions being integrally connected to the intersecting portions C of the crossing. The rail portions A and B are of approximately inverted .U or channel-shape in cross section, and the to webs of same merge into the top webs o the intersections C o the crossing so that the tread surface of the crossing is continuous except at the points where the flangeways or wheel flange grooves intersect or cross .each other. The side legs or vertical walls of the rail portions A and B merge into the vertical side walls of the intersecting portions 0, said side legs or vertical walls, of course, bein integrally connected to the top webs of said portions. The top webs 2 of the rail portions and B and the intersecting portions 0, whlch form the wheel-tread surface or running surface of the crossing, are pro-;

"nected together and merge into each other,

as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In order to reinforce and strengthenthe crossing at the intersecting portions of same and thus prevent the crossing from breaking in the bottom of the wheel flange grooves 3, when it is subjected to sharp, sudden blows and repeated deflection from the wheels of a passing train, I have provided each of the intersecting portions of the crossing with means separate and distinct from the top web of same for tying the side legs of said portion together at the center of the intersecting portion. In the preferred form of my invention as herein shown, said means consists ofa horizontally-disposed base web 6 which is integrally connected to the base flanges 5 and to the vertically disposed side legs or walls 4 of each of the intersecting portions'C, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to securely tie together the eight side legs or diverging side walls of said intersecting portion. When car wheels the intersecting llangeways or grooves 3 in said intersecting portions, there is no liability of the crossing breaking in the bottom of the fiangeways. owing to the fact that the intersecting portions of the crossing are substantially box-shaped structures, each of which is composed of two horizontally-disposed top and bottom webs which are integ -ally connected to vertically -disposed pieces that are arranged between same. In other words, my improved crossing is provided with reinforced intersecting portions of girder construction that are stronger than the other portions of the crossing and consequently there is no tendency to concentrated deflection in the bottom of theflangeways, with resultant breakage.

The tie members or base webs 6 may be of any preferred shape or design but they are so formed that the metal in same will cool off more quickly than the other portions of the casting after the crossing has been cast and thus prevent the crossing from cracking at the corners or angles of same, due to excessive shrinkage of the casting. In the form of my invention shown in Fig. 5 this is accomplished by making the edge portions of the base Webs 6 of less thickness than the main or intermediate portions of said webs. In the form shown in Fig. 6 the edge portions of the base webs 6 are beveled at 6 for a similar purpose. The base webs 6 of the crossing herein shown are provided with holes 7 but these holes are merely provided for the cores used in the casting operation. 7 7

While I have herein shown\my invention embodied in a single 90 or right-angle crossing, it will, of course, be understood that it is applicable to double crossings or to oblique crossings. Furthermore, I wish it to be understood that my invention is applicable to integral crossings, as shown in Fig. 1, or to built-up crossings, as shown in Fig. 7, the essential feature of my invention being the reinfdrced intersecting portion of the crossing that lies between the rail sections. In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 7 to 9,'inclusive, the reinforced intersections C are of substantially box-girder construction and are provided .sidc. walls, and a tie member integrally connected to said side walls, said tie member being of varying thickness so that it will cool off more quickly than the other portions of the casting and thus prevent the casting from cracking due to excessive shrinkage.

2. A cast metal crossing having a substantially box-shaped intersecting portion formed integral with a plurality of diverging portions of approximately inverted U- shape in cross section, which are open on their underside throughout their entire length.

3. A railway crossing comprising intersecting portions of approximatelyv inverted U-shape in cross section whose top webs and side legs are integrally connected together, and base webs at only the corners or angles of the crossing which are integrally con nected to the side legs of said portions so as to reinforce and strengthen the running surface at the corners or angles of the cross-- l. A railway crossing provided with cas metal intersecting portions of substantially inverted U-section whose top Webs and side legs are integrally connected together, and a tie member integrally connected to the side legs of each of said intersecting portions,

said tie member having portions that are of less thlckness than the main portion of said member, so that said tie member will cool oft more quickly than the other portions of the casting after said intersecting portion has been cast.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. this 19th day of January 1914:.

EDWIN H. STEEDMAN.

Witnesses:

It. E. VVINKLER, L. S. BuoKLEs. 

